Have I been hoodwinked into signing a document?

[MrsHench]

Any legal/citizen advice welcome-TIA
In hindsight I feel really stupid for doing this.
Why am I feeling duped? A Colleague of mine asked me to sign a personal document for her during work time. She said I was just witnessing her signature. But she kinda poo pooed it when i asked what it was, as if it was none of my business. I think it's to do with her new flat which she's moved into recently. I obliged but then had to put my home address also which I wasn't really happy about. I was going to put my workplace address but she just laughed it off as if i was stupid. I've only been in the job 2 months and now I'm wondering why she didn't ask one of the other colleagues who she's know much longer. Why me and why not wait til the next day? What was the urgency with this?
We hardly know each other but she has been training me for the last 2 months. She's very good at her job, efficient, confident, authoritative and i don't think money is an issue with her from what i gather. But why now am I feeling uneasy about this? I have a young family, a full time job, work hard but I feel she pounced, caught me off guard so to speak. I am very stressed!
I should've asked to see the document, asked more questions after all she's asked me for my signature and my home address.
I felt she should've been more transparent on this situation too. Am I right to be concerned, worried? Please help!

I’ve done similar today for my lovely neighbours that are leaving. It was from Solicitors for the sale & purchase of their house. It was folded so I didn’t see anything other than their (my neighbours) signature & I just had to sign & write my address to witness it. There was nothing to read. I think it is what it is op & I would try not to worry.

@Lightspeeds. But that's (12) for the transferor/transferee to sign?
Unless "executed as a deed" means that signatures need to be witnessed?

( Obviously I'm not a conveyancer!)

If so, then OP has just indeed witnessed a signature in good faith?

The dodgy bit is on her colleague if she has made misrepresentations on the document, I assume.

As a witness you are literally just signing to say you witnessed the other person sign their name, the content of the document is irrelevant, it could say absolutely anything

She will probably have sent the originals to her solicitor which is the norm, although unusual not to keep a copy or a scan.

Did she sign the document as well? That’s the crucial bit.

When you witness a document you are simply saying you saw the other person sign, as a protection against fraud. You don’t see the content of the document. Just the signature.

It’s totally normal. You can’t use a relative.

It's a few years since I moved house but I recall being sent two copies of documents and being instructed to return one signed and witnessed, and keep the other. I didn't keep a copy of the signed version as all it had on it was my signature and the name, address and signature of one of my work colleagues which was information I didn't need.

I think you have overreacted here. You were the only person in the office, she wanted to get it done that day. Not hard to read @i have witnessed a signature.

You're supposed to use someone who isn't that close to you to witness your signature to avoid a conflict of interest. I need to do a deed of trust for my life insurance and I will probably as a colleague to sign as witness as I can't ask family members. I certainly wouldn't provide a copy or allow them to read the document first.
When my colleagues witnessed my will and house purchase forms, they literally just watched me sign, asked what they were witnessing and put in name and address.
I don't think your colleague is conning you OP, she just sounds a bit awkward and stressed with moving.

Surely you read it before signing?

Have you read any of the other posts? Witnesses do not read documents.

Can understand your initial concern, but now you know it is a TR1 you are being dramatic
I asked my plasterer to witness mine, wouldn't have dreamt of letting him read the details

However she should have just told you what it was, she didn't need to be so evasive

Dont beat yourself up, OP.

When I had to get a will assignment witnessed I got a neighbour who is also a notary to sign it. She was very clear she did not need to read the document, her only concern was that she see me physically sign, then add her name, signature and address where it said « Witnessed by ».

I think all you’d need to see, to set your mind at rest, would be the line above your signature - to make sure it says « Witnessed by » (and not, for instance, « Guarantor signature » or similar.)

Again, don’t beat yourself up and ignore unhelpful comments of the « surely you read it before signing » sort.

You do indeed need to sign and put your home address on a TR1 form.

The TR1 form has a lot of personal information. Including the sellers info, and how much you're buying the property for. My husband got his work colleague to sign ours - they did not ask to read it.

I wouldn't worry about this. You either witnessed their signature or signed to confirm their identity. I've done this for several colleagues and friends. When I urgently needed it for my old flat I had a friend who did a drive-by signing - tooted their horn, I came out with the document and they signed, no questions asked!

Being a guarantor or similar requires a lot more than one's signature...

I think your reaction is OTT. I’ve had to get a lot of documents witnessed recently as I’m executor for an estate.

I’ve got colleagues to do it.

i told them roughly what it was (to do with executory), signed, then got them to sign.

I don’t have copies as CBA to take them.

I wouldn’t have been that happy if they had wanted to read the documents they contained quite a lot of sensitive financial information.

Same with house purchase stuff that I’ve had witnessed in the past.

Are you quite anxious in general?

Have you ever bought a property? There are quite a few documents that need witnessed signatures.

It was probably just a witness and she's being coy because she doesn't want you to see how much she is borrowing for a mortgage.

I've been a guarantor for a friend's rent and for that I was required to go into the letting agent separately with passport etc and sign a couple of separate documents.

Signature by hers looks like a witness based on my limited experience. I've asked neighbours for this loads of times and witnessed their documents as well.

I would never ask to read a dicument where I was just witnessing a signature!!

I don't need to know the wills of my friends or neighbours, or details of powers of attorney for thei parents or whatever.

However I would expect to see the signature page and see the witness statement. I'm not just going to sign any old thing.

No you don’t. You are signing that you have seen them sign the form. That’s all.
move signed many and no way would I read the form - it’s personal.

You posted about this on another thread, didn’t you?

I gave you advice there. Others have echoed that here already.

You should really have watched her sign because the whole point of being a witness is so that you can say, if asked, that you saw the person sign the document.

That said, people pre sign and get witnesses to write in their details afterwards all the time and nothing happens. The chances of her having forged anything are minuscule, this is all part of a house purchase with a lawyer who will have done all the standard client checks.

There was absolutely no need for you to know what was in the document and you will not have committed yourself to anything at all. It’s fair enough that she may not have wanted you to see her house price. She should have explained it better but no harm done.

Look at this for more info, para 2.1.2 in particular

www.gov.uk/government/publications/execution-of-deeds/practice-guide-8-execution-of-deeds

Yes you would. I'm a guarantor for my son and I've had to provide a lot of documentation. It's not just a signature!

But unless you read what you sign (not in detail but enough of a quick read to see what the document is) how would you be certain you're signing as a witness instead of as a signatory? If it clearly says "witness" next to your signature that would be okay but some things (like passports) you have to have known someone for a certain length of time, so I would always want to know what I'm signing.

I too would like to know if she signed it first in your presence. If she didn't then you weren't actually witnessing her signature.

And on a passport form, you sign a declaration that says that. It’s right above the signature box, isn’t it? You don’t have to read the rest of the document to check it he name of your friend’s father or their place of birth.

A witness is simply declaring that they saw the signatory sign. So they don’t need to see any of the rest of the document.

on my last house move I had to get the removal men to witness my signature as the solicitor had missed a form. The removal men did not read the document. You are over thinking it.

She didn’t. OP said this on the other thread: